BEIRUT ON ONE GIG

I just returned from a 4 night vacation to Beirut, Lebanon. Normally I would have brought back hundreds if not thousands of pictures from an exotic place I've never been to before. But in Beirut I took less than 80 photos. I think this might be my new gauge as to how much I like a place. I had a camera with me at all times on the trip, and as you can see from one of the above photos, I even had a waterproof case for ocean shots. Beirut simply didn't inspire me to take photos like most other places. It is a nice place, a lot different than most people in the States probably think of it. There are a ton of upscale restaurants and boutique stores. Everybody seems to drive a Porsche or a Ferrari. There's a healthy mix of Christians and Muslims, all of whom seem eager to go clubbing and explore their sexuality. Lebanon also has the freest press in the Middle East. Booze is cheap and is available on every corner. Almost all the sections of downtown that were decimated by the Civil War have been bulldozed and now host modern offices, shopping, and Starbucks. Julie and I walked all over town, took taxis to farther away places, and more often than not, my camera stayed in my bag. I ate, drank, and tried to like Beirut. And what was my final verdict? I took less than 80 photos and threw over half of those away when I got home.